Atem's Moving Castle
by MackieRay
Summary: Yugi is cursed after being saved by Atem, and is forced leaving home in order to find a way to reverse it. When he comes across Atem once more, he can't talk to him as himself and ends up being the cleaning "lady" of Atem's castle. (there aren't any actual howls moving castle characters in this.
1. The beginning and the curse

**WOW! I seem to love taking on a new challenge before I even finish one story. This is a Yu-Gi-Oh story based on Howl's Moving Castle. If you don't know what that is, I suggest you find it and watch it before reading this. It will spoil the movie. Don't want that. It will have just a few twists that make it my own, hope you enjoy.**

**In the distant fog, you see a crude looking building. It looks more like some monster, but it is in fact a black magician's home. His name is Atem. People fear him, and it is rumored that he eats the hearts of beautiful young women. What people don't know, is that he is not interested in women, but men.**

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_In the distant fog, you see a crude looking building. It looks more like some monster, but it is in fact a black magician's home. His name is Atem. People fear him, and it is rumored that he eats the hearts of beautiful young women. What people don't know, is that he is not interested in women, but men._

* * *

In a small town, not far from Atem's castle, as the people of Egypt called it, sat a petite young man. His name was Yugi He was in his Grandfather's game shop, testing games for his Grandpa, per usual. As he sat there, the other workers, his best friend, Duke, Tritan, and Tea. They helped sell the games, and where getting ready to go into town with Yugi's Gramps.

Suddenly Tea squealed in excitement. "Look!" Tea shouted, "It's Atem's castle! Isn't it amazing? I hear he eats the hearts of beautiful young girls. Guess I'm the only only who has to worry about that." She said. Tea, was a girl with short brown hair and crystal blue eyes. The others were Duke, and Tristan.

Yugi looked out also, just out of curiosity. What he saw was something that looked more like a pile of trash. It was moving though, which he found utterly fascinating. He stared for a moment, before realizing the others had left.

Then he went back to his stack of unfinished games. After looking through them, he decided to call it quits, and go to his cousins bakery. He picked up his jacket, and walked out the door, locking it behind him.

He pulled out the piece of paper, and followed the small map on the paper. He was almost there when he passed by the parade, for the soldiers off to war. He walked into the back alleys to avoid the crowd, and looked down at the small map again.

As he was walking, he suddenly bumped into something. He looked up, and saw a man with a uniform on. He had long blue-ish hair, and two different colored eyes. Next to him, was a shorter man, with a creepy smile blue hair, and yellowish eyes hidden by glasses.

"Look Weevil, a little mouse lost his way." Said the taller of the two. Yugi shook his head and tried to move on, but the men blocked his path again. He looked down and then back up.

"I'm not lost, thank you though." He said, trying once more to move away. The men looked at each other, the taller saying to the one identified as Weevil, "See, you smile scares all the cute ones away." He said, shoving the shorter lightly.

"Are you sure it's not those eyes of yours?" He retorted, then turned back to Yugi. "Why don't you let us take you out?" He asked Yugi.

Just then, a hand was put on Yugi's shoulder, and a deep baritone voice showed up. "There you are dear, I've been looking all over for you." It said, and Yugi looked up. A man was standing there, and Yugi noticed instantly, that his hair was styled the same way as his own. In fact, except for the different colors, it was identical.

"Hey, we're busy here. Move on bud." Said Weevil, looking back at the taller man. The man with his hand on Yugi's shoulder laughed then said, "Really? It looked to me like you were just leaving." He said, then his hand lifted from his side, and the men seized up, and as his hand move away so did they.

"Sorry, I need you to act natural for me. Don't freak out, but I'm being followed." The man said, walking, pulling Yugi slightly before he started walking on his own. He kept walking, and after a few minutes, the man spoke again. "Sorry, looks like you really are involved know. This way." He said turning left, "Run, we need momentum."

Suddenly we took off, soaring over the strange black blobs that had begun chasing us. As well as everything else.

"Now, extend your legs and start walking." He said to Yugi.

Yugi did as he was told, and soon the two were walking over the entire town. They stepped briefly on the top of a building, and then kept going. They went to the balcony of a building, which happened to be his cousins bakery.

The man set him down, and now Yugi got a better look. The man had blue eyes, and crimson tipped black hair. He had gold lightning looking streaks running on the front, and it was spiked up like a star. His skin was sun kissed, unlike most of the population who had skin like marble.

"There, now stay inside for a little while. I'll draw them away from you, alright?" The man said. Yugi shivered at his voice, and nodded. "That's my boy." He said smiling, then he jumped backwards of the railing of the balcony.

Yugi ran to the edge, but could not see the man anywhere. A few minutes later, after he had gotten inside, he was sitting with his cousin Ryou, who had soft white hair and big brown doe eyes. He was co-owner of the bakery with their childhood friend Malik, who hand sandy blond hair and light violet eyes.

They were all sitting behind some boxes in the bakery talking, and he told them about the strange man who had saved him. They looked at him in somewhat horror before they said in sinc, "What if that had been the wizard every talks about Atem?! He could have killed you!" They exclaimed together.

Yugi looked down, and shook his head before replying.

"Not likely. He only likes pretty girls. I'm a boy, and I'm not attractive at all." Yugi said with a slight frown.

Ryou and Malik continued trying to convince him he was handsome, but he refused to see himself through their eyes. This continued for a few more minutes before Yugi said he needed to get back to the Kame Game Shop, where he lived, and worked.

He stood outside the door, and said goodbye, the two other boys asking if he was sure working in the game shop was what he wanted. Of course his answer was yes. He had always loved games, and he was a game tester as well as creating a new every now and then.

(TIME SKIP)

Yugi unlocked the door of the game shop and walked in, locking it back up behind went to the front desk, and lit the lamp on it to provide a small amount of light. He heard a rattle behind him and turned around. He saw a tall thin girl with long black hair and hazel brown eyes.

She was wearing a yellow kimono dress, and had her hair up in twin buns.

"I'm sorry, but the shop is closed." He said, and then he muttered to himself, "I could have sworn I locked that door…"

The woman smiled, and looked around. Her eyes landed on Yugi, and she momentarily stared at his hair. Then her smile widened, and she took a few steps forward into the shop, and then spoke.

"What a tacky little shop, and what odd looking games. But by far, you are the tackiest thing here." She said, looking around again.

"I'm sorry ma'am," Yugi started again, walking over to the door and opening it. "But the shop is closed, so I must ask you to leave. The door is right here." He said, pointing out.

The woman laughed, and she walked towards him a little as if to leave. Then she spoke again.

"My, your a plucky one aren't you… standing up to the witch of the waste. Tell Atem I said ``hi will you?" She said, turning fully as her minions came up behind Yugi scaring him, when he realized that they were the same as the ones chasing that man earlier.

Her body turned to smoke and she passed through him, as he cowered in front of the black blobs of slime. She was at the door now, and spoke again, this time in a voice that said 'to bad, we should have been allies' almost.

"The best part about that spell, is that you can't tell anyone about it. Enjoy your curse." She said walking out the door closing it behind her.

Yugi stood slowly, and as he stood, he noticed it was much harder than it should have been for someone his age. He looked down at his hands, and gasped. They looked really old. They had become wrinkled and hard. He walked over to the full length mirror in the room that they had never gotten around to removing.

He gasped again. His back was stooped slightly, and his hair was all gray. It was also pulled back with a leather hair tie for some reason. He was covered head to toe with wrinkles, and his eyes had lost some color he noticed. The last thing he noticed was that the whole thing was blurry.

"Great, not only am I old, I'm partially blind, and now I'm talking to myself. How much worse can this get… that lady said I wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it. I'll just leave then… I can't let grandpa see me like this, not to mention Ryou and Malik..." Yugi ranted a little to himself.

He sighed, and went up to his room, locking the door behind him. He laid down and went to sleep, deciding to stay in his room all day tomorrow and then leave.

The next morning, Yugi woke up to knocking on his door, and Tea's voice telling him to come down for breakfast before the shop opened for the day.

"I don't think I'll come down today. My throat is terribly sore, and my nose is all plugged up. Tell grandpa for me would you?" Yugi said, sitting on the bed covered by a blanket.

He heard a pause before she replied, sounding somewhat worried.

"Alright. Are you going to be OK? You sound like an old man…" She said, posing the question to him in her worry. It was evident now, that it was going to take a while to sneak out. They would be checking on him at some point in the night, and he would have to leave right after they left.

"I'll be fine, it's just a cold. I'll sound normal in a few days. Can you tell Ryou and Malik for me?" He asked, wanting his friends to know they wouldn't see him for a while. "Longer than they may think…" Yugi thought to himself after Tea had left.

He stood up and walked to the small mirror in his own room and started talking to his reflection. He was a supposedly crazy old coot now anyways he figured. So he did it with little guilt.

"Well, at least you don't have very many back problems, not to mention your hair is under control now. Plus, no chance that even a female wizard will look at you anymore." He told himself a frown pulling lightly at his wrinkled face.

(TIME SKIP)

When night fell, Yugi opened his door and walked to the kitchen with a small bag. He grabbed a small amount of bread and cheese and then left. Walking as far as he could, over a bridge that spanned a rail road. Eventually, he caught a ride on a wagon that was headed in the direction he needed to go. It dropped him off by a small farm, where the farmer offered to take him back the way he had come.

"No, thank you though. I'll be alright, after all, I'm just going to visit my sister." Yugi replied, waving his hand as he kept walking to the waste lands.

A woman stuck her head out of the house that was by the edge of the wastes, and asked, "Where is he going at such an old age? Especially through the wastes."

Her husband, who had been talking to Yugi previously, turned and answered, "He says he's going to visit his sister. Whoever would live on a path through the waste must be crazy though."

Yugi listened a little as he walked then tuned the conversation out to focus on walking. He was just a little way away from where he started, barely making any progress in his old body. He looked back and groaned lightly.

He had made even less progress than he initially thought. He could still see the town, even if it was smaller now. He turned back around, and as he kept walking a strong wind began to blow. Hindering his movement even more.

"I'm not going to get anywhere like this. I may be fairly fit, especially for my age, but this wind is chilling me to the bone. I need a cane of some sort." He said to himself, looking around.

As he kept looking, he came across a bush with two sticks, poking out of it. They both looked to be the right size, so he walked to them, and grabbed one. He pulled with all his might, and after a few minutes of struggling, the stick came loose.

It was a lot taller than it had initially looked, and as Yugi kept looking, it was a scarecrow. He also noticed it was standing on it's own, as he had let go in shock when he saw the turnip head. Shaking his head in wonder, he grabbed the other one.

He pulled, and when he got this one up, it was also a scarecrow. Now that both were up, they bounced around him, and then went along the path. Yugi was once again alone, and still lacking the cane he needed.

After several more minutes he heard a light tapping on the ground, and looked up from shielding his face. The scarecrows had come back. One with a cane, that had a nice curve in it and was just the right size for Yugi. The other, carried a better coat that would protect him from the wind better.

Yugi stared for a moment before smiling at their kindness. He accepted the coat and cane, putting the coat on over his old one. Then he set the end of the cane on the ground and tested it by walking a few steps.

"This will be perfect. Thank you very much, for the coat and for the cane." Yugi said, then walked past them and continued on his way, just a little faster than before now that he had a cane and a better coat.

He still heard the two scarecrows tapping along behind him, so he turned and spoke to them again.

"I would like a place to stay if you don't mind. This isn't really getting me anywhere, and this old body won't agree with the hard ground." Yugi said to them, and in response they bounced off into the distance.

It wasn't long before they returned. What Yugi didn't expect though, was to see Atemu's castle behind them. He paled, and then walked towards it slowly. The castle stopped for a moment, as if to let him in, then kept going past him.

On the other side, was a door. Yugi saw it and started running to keep up with the castle. It was faster than him because of how big it's steps were. He grabbed onto the railing by the door, but was still running to try and keep up.

After several minutes Yugi finally managed to climb up on the small porch that was built out in front of the door. He caught his breath, and with some struggle to stay on the small porch, opened the door.

He peered inside, and felt the heat from a wood stove. It was certainly better than sitting outside. He turned once more, and spoke to the two scarecrows that had helped him.

"Thank you very much, I should go inside though. This cold isn't good for my old bones, and I don't want to get sick."

They kept bouncing after Yugi and the castle though, after the door was shut behind him. They knew what this place was after all. Not that they could say anything, what with the spell they were under.

The two scarecrows used there high jump to get stuck in a part of the castle. Then they just sat there, waiting to be found. Inside with Yugi was a different story though.

The inside of the moving place was very dirty. Crumbs and trash everywhere. Clothes, and other thing where strewn throughout the room, to the point the floor was barely seen. Yugi curled his lip in disgust.

He walked a little further into the room, and on his way, stepped on several things that had just been left to collect dust. He walked over to the little chair, and brushed it off. Sitting down he took in more of the room, from the able sitting in the corner, to the sink by the wall.

Both were barely noticeable under all the clutter. He shook his head, and turned back to the fire. It had eyes. His own eyes went wide, and then, then the fire spoke.

"Who are you? And what are you doing in this house? My master won't like having a stranger in the house when he returns." The fire said, looking Yugi up and down.

Yugi gasped and stood up, backing away a little from the warmth of the fire. It smiled warmly, and spoke again.

"You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm just a fire demon, cursed to make this house move for all eternity." The demon paused, and then his eyes widened as he realized something. "HEY! Maybe you could help me. You could get rid of my curse, and I could help you with yours."

Yugi just stood there for a moment before eyeing the fire with suspicion. He sat back down, and set the cane next to his chair.

"First of all, how did you know I was cursed? Secondly, why should I help you? Third, what makes you think you and I can help each other?" Yugi asked, leaning slightly closer to the fire, though the fact it claimed to be a demon was slightly disconcerting.

The demon though for a moment before answering the three questions.

"First, I can tell your cursed because I'm cursed to. Second, you should help me because I asked and I can help you. Unfortunately, only after you've helped me. Third, We can help each other because we're both cursed. The cursed of this world must stick together." The self proclaimed fire demon answered.

Yugi nodded considering the demons answers, and his offer. His eyes closed for a moment, and he realized how tired he was. As he started to drift off, the demon asked if they had a deal. Being too tired to argue, he simply said he would, but only if the demon promised he would help.

After that Yugi fell into a deep sleep, leaving the demon to his thoughts. The demon kept talking, as if Yugi could hear, and that was that. He would have to get this humans name tomorrow.

(Time skip to morning)

Yugi woke with a start, hearing a bell ring and footsteps approaching where he sat. He heard two voices, one asking who he was, and the other what they should do with him. The bell rang again, and one of the voices cursed.

He heard both pairs of feet moving away, and dared to open his eyes enough to get a look at the two. One, was a white haired teen, that looked as if he intended to either kill someone, or steal their stuff. The other, had sandy blonde hair and looked about the same.

In fact, Yugi thought that if they hadn't looked so crazy, they could have been Malik and Ryou's twins. One of the two started to turn back towards where he was sitting, so he closed his eyes again, and went back to "sleep".

"What should we do with him though Bakura? We can't just leave him here can we?" One of the two teens asked. He sounded kinda crazy too in Yugi's opinion.

He heard the door open, and the other spoke to someone at the door. Then it closed again, and they went back to talking. After a few minutes of them talking, Yugi decided to "wake up". He groaned, and his bones popped as he moved and sat up properly.

He looked around, and noticed the fire was staring at him again. The two teens from before looked at him, and stopped talking when they saw him staring. They looked back at each other, and shrugged before the white haired boy spoke.

"What are you doing here shrimp? And how did you get in?" He asked, glaring at the old man that had shown up out of the blue.

Yugi stared for a moment before replying.

"I was helped by a couple of scarecrows. They gave me this cane and jacket, then led me here." He said, telling them exactly what happened.

The crazy looking sandy blonde laughed. He fell on the floor, and looked back at the old man.

"And people say i'm crazy. Bakura, this old man is off his rocker." He said, and the white haired teen, that Yugi now knew was called Bakura kicked him. Then helped him up, only to be tackled to the floor by the other boy.

"Can it Marik. Don't be so rude to strangers."Bakura said, then turned his direction to the old man, and asked him a question. "What's your name, and why are you in this house? Don't be funny, or we may just kill you."

Yugi blanched at the word kill, but he managed to swallow his fear. He gulped, and looked straight into Bakura's eyes.

"My name is Yugi. I'm in this house, because the scarecrows led me here. That's the truth, and there's nothing you can do to prove me wrong. So please, don't kill me. I'm just an old man." Yugi said, then asked his own question. "Also, why would you kill me? Why not just toss me out the front door?"

"This old man is crazy, asking us to throw him out the front door." Marik though while laughing, and Bakura hit him again. He stopped laughing and glared at Bakura. Then looked back to Yugi and spoke.

"We would kill you because you know of our whereabouts. If we threw you out, you would tell, and then the witch of the waste would be able to find us." Marik said, his laughing from before vanished from his face, replaced by a mask of seriousness.

"Sorry, but I can't take you seriously when you were just laughing so hard. Plus your face shows you're trying too hard to not laugh." Yugi said as he started laughing himself, and he ended up falling out of the chair he had been sitting in.

This caused Bakura to start laughing, and once that happened, none of them could stop. The fire just sat there staring at them, and them when they did finally stop, it spoke getting there attention.

"You three are gonna be in trouble if Atem comes back ta find ya on the floor laughing when Bakura and Marik are supposed ta be studying. Also, I forgot ta introduce myself last night. My name is Joey. Nice ta meet ya, now let them get back ta work." The fire, now dubbed Joey said, his voice deadpanning in an accent Yugi had never heard before.

The two teens stood up, then helped Yugi stand. Yugi, was about to sit back in the chair, when the door opened, and in came Atem. Or as Yugi saw him, the man who had saved him from those soldiers the other day.

**Alright! That's it. I got a ways in considering how long Howl's Moving Castle is. Drop a review and let me know what you think. I've made a few changes obviously. Such as the two scarecrows, and two apprentices. You'll just have to keep reading and tell me what you think when I finally get chapter two posted. This is mostly a stress relief now though, so it won't be updated to often, but when it comes around, be sure to read it.**


	2. The Castle

**Hey peeps! I started this not long after the first chapter was posted so I could try to update as soon as possible. I hope you'll keep reading and dropping reviews so I can get an idea of how you like my story. Disclaimer! I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Howls moving castle. (though I kinda wish I did, Yugi and Atem would actually have ended up together)**

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Recap:

_Right after Yugi has been discovered by Bakura and Marik, they seem to be at least casual friends. Joey introduces himself and tells them they need to get back to work not a moment to soon though. Atem has returned, and Yugi might be in more trouble than he thought, now that he knows who rescued him that night._

* * *

As Atem came into the room, he paused. He hadn't been expecting the old man. What he had expected even less though, was to feel a powerful curse that had been placed on the old man.

He looked at Bakura and Marik. Glaring at them, and heard a slight squeak of fear from the old man. He decided to ignore it for now, he would deal with the old man in a minute.

"Why are you two justr standing there? Go practice your spells, and make sure you don't slack off again." He stated, then turned to Yugi, and spoke again his voice and features softening slightly. "May I ask who you are and what you are doing in my house?"

Yugi's face went blank, before he came back to his senses, and jumped slightly when he saw that Atem was staring at him.

"Oh! Sorry, my name is Yugi Mouto. I'm your new butler. I'll be in charge of cleaning your home from now on unless you are unhappy with my work." Yugi said, his eyes going up to meet Atem's.

From behind Yugi, another voice spoke up. "That's right Atem. I hired him, sick an' tired of dis' mess you leave behind." Joey said, making Yugi jump as he had forgotten Joey was there.

Atem looked at Joey, then back to Yugi and nodded. He walked to where the stairs were before turning and telling Yugi a few things.

"Don't go overboard, I don't need you messing up my potions in the bathroom. Also, leave my room alone. Other than that, you have free range. No matter what Bakura and Marik may threaten," Atem said, before turning once more and going up the stairs.

Yugi stood silent for another moment, before a low growl sounded in the room. He froze, and his eyes widened. He looked around, as Joey chuckled.

"When was da' last time ya' ate?" Joey asked, as Bakura and Marik came back into the room.

Yugi blushed slightly, and shook his head. "Just an hour or two before I got here. Then I slept for around two hours."

Yugi looked around seeing a pan, and a basket with bacon and eggs in it. He picked up the items, and cleaned them as best he could, before walking back to where Joey, Bakura, and Marik stood.

Yugi set the basket on the side of the old fashioned fireplace, where the fire could not reach it easily. Then he put the pan over Joey, and an argument ensued.

"No way, your not my master, I only listen to Atem." Joey almosted shouted at Yugi. He went to push the pan away with his fiery arms.

"Well, I'll just have to tell him about our deal then, won't I. Unless you let me cook, since you were the one who reminded me that I hadn't eaten in a while." Yugi replied in a whisper.

Joey's eyes widened, and he stopped pushing against the pan. He glared at Yugi, then put his arms down allowing the pan to be put on him. He grumbled, and glared at Yugi from under the pan.

"May all your bacon burn, and may all the eggs be rotten." Joey said, annoyance evident in his voice.

Yugi chuckled, and started placing bacon and eggs in the pan. The smell of bacon and eggs, as well as the sound filling the room. Marik and Bakura sniffed the air, and watched in wonder as Joey let Yugi cook.

They had been here for almost two years, and still couldn't do that. They shared a look that said, 'Who exactly is this old man?'.

It wasn't much longer before Atem came back down the stairs, sniffing the air. He walked over to Yugi and Joey with a slightly surprised look on his face.

"You're surprisingly docile Joey. What happened to only allowing me to cook with the heat you provide." Atem said, teasing in his tone, and then grabbed the utensils Yugi was using just in front of where Yugi's hand was. "Let me see that. Hand me eight more slices of bacon, and four more eggs." He said taking Yugi's place in front of Joey cooking.

Yugi did as he was asked, and handed Atem more bacon and eggs. His movements slightly slower than normal from the shock of Atem taking over. He seemed so much nicer than the stories told. Plus, Atem had saved his life.

While this had been happening, Bakura and Marik cleaned the table off as best they could. They also found some clean (clean-ish) silverware to use, as well as plates and a few bowls. The bowls would be used for tea, as Yugi had found a kettle after handing Atem the bacon and eggs he had asked for.

They all sat at the table, and Atem separated the meal evenly between the four of them. Then he looked up at Yugi, and asked him a question.

"So what are you hiding in your pocket?" Atem asked, staring at Yugi.

Yugi looked up with a surprised look in his eyes, a question on his lips. "What? I haven't got anything in my pockets though…" Yugi said, putting his hands in his pockets, pausing in his speech when he felt a piece of paper.

He pulled it out, and stared in shock at the red piece of paper in his hand. It had a strange symbol on it, and Atem held his hand out. Yugi reached out to give the paper to Atem.

To his further surprise however, the second it touched Atem's hand even just barely, it sparked. The two quickly pulled their hands back, and stared as it burned a mark on the table. Bakura and Marik also watched with interest, as Atem leaned forward just a bit so he could see it better.

"I will find you soon, magician of shadows. Your heart is mine." Atem said, seemingly reading the markings. "Can't be good for the table." He finished, placing his hand over it then swiping it to the side.

When he removed his hand the marking was gone, and his hand had a very light burn mark on it. Yugi stared, watching in surprise as Atem picked up his plate and walked over to Joey, dumping the food in the fire's mouth.

"Joey, move us five miles southwest. It won't do for the witch of the waste to find us." Atem said, Bakura and Marik looking up from their food in shock.

Joey swallowed without chewing, and then the four people could feel the castle moving once more underneath them. Yugi looked around, then noticed that Bakura and Marik were staring at him, apprehension in their eyes.

"You're working for the witch of the waste?" Marik asked, his voice held danger.

Yugi bristled at the accusation. He glared and stopped eating.

"I would never work for her, she's the reason i'm c- mrgh- mmn-." Yugi stumbled over his speech, then slammed his hands onto the table in anger startling the other two still at the table.

"IF I EVER GET MY HANDS ON HER, I'LL RING HER NECK!" Yugi shouted in anger, "Finish your breakfast." Yugi said, only slightly more calm. Then shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth.

Time skip:

Yugi had begun cleaning, and was sweeping everything , while Marik and Bakura took tables, books, and other important things out the door till he was done. As they walked out with more books, an old man walked up.

"Excuse me, is Atem here?" The old man asked, his hand reaching out and lightly grabbing Bakura's shirt from behind.

Bakura looked at him and shook his head before speaking. "Come back later, we've got an old magician on a rampage in there." He said, his eyes rolling slightly up to the heavens when he heard Yugi from the inside.

"I heard that Bakrua, and if I hear any lip from you don't put it past me to whoop you. I may be old but I'm not frail." Yugi shouted from his position in the house.

Bakura winced slightly, and bowed to the old man, then went back into the house as the old man turned and left. Yugi handed him more books before he was even up the stairs, and this time Marik was right behind him.

They finally finished getting everything out and Yugi started the in depth scrub of the floors. He placed a sheet on the floor in front of Joey, picked Joey and a single log up with a shovel and set him to the side.

Joey watched slightly panicked when the log was smaller than he was, as Yugiu swept the ashes onto the sheet. As he finished Atem came down and placed Joey back in his rightful place, with a few more logs to burn up.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't torment my friend." Atem said, referring to how close Joey had been to going out. "Make sure he doesn't go overboard while I'm gone." Atem said, looking between Bakura and Marik. Then walked out the door.

Yugi nodded, and then continued with what he had been doing, getting the ashes outside. When he came back in he walked up to Joey.

"Sorry Joey, I was just trying to clean around you. Thought you would be more comfortable." Yugi said in apology. His eyes showed just how sorry he was.

The people he was with now didn't know this, but Yugi had always been a gentle soul. He would rather be injured himself then see someone he cared for hurt. They didn't know that though, but it showed through just slightly as he said this.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Marik stood, and went to the door, putting on a magical disguise. As he opened it, Yugi couldn't see out very clearly, but he heard the conversation.

"Is the great magician Mahaad here?" Yugi heard the voice say.

Marik shook his head before replying. "No, he's out right now i'm afraid. May I help you?" He asked.

The man outside the door handed Marik something, then spoke again.

"He is required to appear before the King. He has been summoned for the war ahead of us." The man said, then bowed slightly and turned, walking away.

Marik came back up the stairs leading to the door, setting the letter on one of the many tables. Not thirty seconds after he had taken off the disguise, there was another knock on the door.

Marik, sighed, and replaced the disguise. He walked down the stairs and opened the door again. Once again, Yugi heard the conversation, this time moving closer to see the other speaker.

"Is the great magician Shadi available?" The man outside asked.

Once again. Marik said no, and asked what he could do. Just like the first time, the king had summoned him to fight in the war. Yugi paused in his listening, to wonder, 'What exactly is this war for?'

Yugi was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the door closing. Marik walked back up the stairs, placing another envelope on top of the other. Yugi looked at them curiously for a moment, then went back to his cleaning.

He had finished downstairs by cleaning the fireplace, now it was time for upstairs. He picked up his bucket, and walked to the stairs leading to the second floor. Bakura jumped up, and him and Marik, who had already been standing, jumped in front of Yugi.

"You can't go up there!" The two teens said in perfect sync. Yugi looked at them with an amused look in his eyes.

"Better hide anything you don't want me to clean." Yugi said, smirking when their eyes went wide.

"Save our room for last!" The two yelled lightly as they ran up the stairs to their shared room. As they did, Yugi made his way up the stairs behind them.

Yugi walked slowly, and looked around at the work he had to do up here. He went into the bathroom, which was covered in several multicolored liquids that had since dried. Yugi wasn't sure what they were, and was sure he didn't want to know.

He grimaced at the smell, just from standing in the doorway to the room. He moved on, to see where he should start. As he walked, he walked by an open door, that was Marik and Bakura's room. They were running around with stuff in their arms, as if trying to find a safe place to put all of it.

"Not ready yet, not ready yet!" Bakura said when he saw Yugi. Marik nodded in agreement and closed the door to make sure Yugi wouldn't come in.

Yugi ignored the two, and walked to a door that was closed to see where it led. It was kinda stuck, but he got it open. He also got a gust of wind in his face. He walked out of the door, and to the railing that was on this 'porch'.

In his view was a lake that was as clear as the sky, and shone brightly where the sunlight hit it. He looked up to the sky, and saw a spark coming up from one of that many chimneys. On top of all the beautiful places that could be seen, they were moving.

Yugi ran back inside, where he could just see Joey from the top of the staircase. He leaned over the railing.

"Is that you moving the castle?!" He asked, half exclaiming.

"Of course, no one else does any work around here." Joey replied, his annoyance evident.

"I'm thoroughly impressed. You're a first rate fire demon, I like your spark!" Yugi said, before running back up the stairs out of Joey's site.

Joey froze momentarily, his thoughts trying to wrap around what Yugi had just said. He blinked once, then smirked. Soon he was outright smiling a big dorky grin,

"He likes my spark!" Joey exclaimed in happiness, the castle moving slightly faster, and the spark outside flaring once more.

Yugi was back outside at this point, and Bakura and Marik now joined him. They looked out with him, and just slightly watched to see what he would do.

"It's beautiful. Where are we?" Yugi questioned, turned slightly to face the two teens.

"It's called Star Lake. This is where Atem goes to get away from the witch of the waste. It's out of her reach because it's so clean." Marik answered, Bakura nodding in agreement.

Bakura looked to the side as he heard two tapping noises. What he saw, completely baffled him, and he tapped Marik on the shoulder. Marik turned to look, and paused, then reached out and grabbed one of the two sticks. He pulled, and found it to be stuck on the other.

"Bakura, grab the other one, these shouldn't be here." Marik said, as he moved just enough for Bakura to have room to grab one of the sticks.

They pulled, and when they didn't give changed the angle they were pulling at. The two sticks got caught on the edge of the joint. They went back down a little and pulled to the side, then up. Pushing the two poles, as they saw now, to stand at a slight angle over the edge of the railing.

"It's a couple of scarecrows…. How'd they get up here though?" Marik asked.

"They've been following me since I found them upside down in a bush the other evening. Don;t know why, or how but they always seem to get stuck like that. They actually remind me of my cousins in a way. Always together, and when one is stuck or in trouble, so is the other." As Yugi said this, both scarecrows bounced over a different spot right next to each other.

Bouncing in a way that said thank you, or something like that. That's what it looked like anyways. Yugi smiled and then went back inside to keep cleaning. By the time he got done, the sun was setting and the two scarecrows were helping put the laundry out. Then he and the boys carried a small round table out to the edge of star lake where they had stopped for now, to have some tea.

It was getting darker now, and as they sat on the bank they started discussing what the two scarecrows could be to be able to move around like they did.

"They're probably demons… don't you think?" Bakura asked, as he took a bite of his buttered bread.

"I suppose. But they must be good demons, because they led me here. Plus what demon helps with laundry?" Yugi said, a small smile as he did.

Bakura and Marik both nodded, as the two scarecrows came and just stood next to them. Yugi still thought the one was familiar, but he decided not to dwell on it. As the sun fell, it began to rain, and they all ran back inside.

It wasn't much longer before the color dial by the door switched to black. The color only Atem was allowed to use. Though it wasn't too terribly late, Bakura and Marik had gone to their room for the night, and Yugi was already asleep.

Joey, who never really slept, opened his eyes and looked at the door as Atem walked in. Atem sat in a chair by the fireplace, and put his feet up. He was breathing shallowly in his exhaustion, and he was still partially shifted as some sort of bird creature.

"You shouldn't keep doin' that… one of these days you wont be able to change back. You know that right?" Joey asked, as Atem completed the transformation back to human.

Atem sat still for only a moment longer before standing, and walking to where Yugi was sleeping. He pulled aside the curtain a little, and his eyes widened just a little at what he saw. In the bed, was not the old man he had known only for a day, but the young man he had saved the week before.

Atem sighed, and then spoke to Joey as he let the curtain fall. "This war is terrible. If it doesn't end soon, the king won't have any more wizards to summon at all. They've all shifted into different beasts to aid in his foolish pursuit."

**I apologize if this took a little while, but I had to watch the movie again before I could finish a scene. Hope you enjoy this chapter, i'll try to get chapter three out asap. Drop a review and let me know what you think. Sorry it took so long to get this out. Life has been absolutely crazy for a while now and I just haven't had the time.**


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